IRS E-file Blackout Aug 3-5

The IRS MeF (E-filing) Production system will be unavailable due to a system upgrade from Saturday, August 3, 2019, 12:01AM Eastern time through August 5, 2019, 11:59 AM Eastern time.

During these IRS e-filing blackout periods, the Electronic Filing Center (EFC) will continue to receive e-files from customers; however, please note:

• E-files will be held at the EFC during this period. They will transmitted to the IRS when their system comes back online for processing;
• Acknowledgements (acks) for these e-files will not be delivered until after we transmit to the IRS.

E-file Deadline April 15th Midnight EDT

We strongly encourage you to transmit your e-files at least two hours before the midnight (eastern daylight time) deadline.

As the April 15th deadline approaches, the processing volume at the IRS will increase. Both return volume and return size will affect processing time. While you are accustomed to receiving your Federal acknowledgements within a one hour time-frame, that turnaround time will increase as the deadline approaches. You may see your acknowledgements take from 2 to 4 hours, and possibly longer.

This is why we suggest that you send returns periodically throughout the day. This will help spread out the volume and also help eliminate some of the 'deadline rush' which also impacts IRS processing.

Taxpayers have until Monday, April 15, 2019 to file their 2018 returns and pay any taxes due.

Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Tuesday, October 15, 2019 to file.

C-corporation income tax returns (IRS Form 1120) are due on April 15, 2019 for C corporations that operate on a calendar year, extended deadline is October 15, 2019.  The deadline for C corp returns is the 15th day of the fourth month following the end of the corporation's fiscal year if the corporation is on a fiscal rather than a calendar year.

For calendar year Estates and Trusts, file Form 1041 and Schedule(s) K-1 on or before April 15, 2019.  For fiscal year estates, file Form 1041 by the 15th day of the 4th month following the close of the tax year. For example, an estate that has a tax year that ends on June 30, 2019, must file Form 1041 by October 15, 2019. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, file on the next business day.

Expectations for Agency ACK Response Beginning This Weekend

Beginning this weekend, agencies will begin to actively manage the increasing volume of e-files as we approach the Individual filing deadline. This agency process, known as "throttling," ensures that both federal and state e-filing pipelines continue to flow smoothly while handling the increased volume.

During this period, you can expect some slower ACK responses than are typical for the rest of the season; however, slowed agency responses are normal for this time period.

Common eFile Rejects and Tips to Resolve

Below is a list of the most common e-file rejections, with links to the Knowledge base articles that show you how to resolve them:

IND-031 and IND-032

R0000-500

R0000-503

R0000-504

R0000-507

R0000-902

FW2-502 or 1099R-502

How to Resolve Your Most Common EFC Rejects

Have you received one of the following EFC rejects recently?

- EFC 14 (Bank Application Previously Submitted)

- EFC 38 (Program or Forms Updates Needed)

- EFC 41 (Return Changed after E-File created)

- EFC 90 (Settlement Solutions Agreement has not been accepted)

If so, the following article outlines some of the reasons for these common rejects (and many more), as well as some easy tips (or KB articles) for resolving them:

What are the Electronic Filing Center (EFC) rejection codes for Refunds Today®, or Refunds Today® Online™?

Longer then Normal Hold Times Today

Sorry we are experiencing longer than normal hold times.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Reject 91

If you have been holding returns with a Reject 91- you are able to resubmit them today.

Pre-Acknowledgement Status

To check the status of your clients pre-acknowledgement loans please visit your bank partners website.  Your bank partner will have the latest up to the minute information regarding your clients status.

Here is a list of our partners websites:

EPS Financial
Refund Advantage
TPG, 3Fund and FeeCollectPS

IRS Confirms Tax Filing Season to Begin January 28

WASHINGTON ― Despite the government shutdown, the Internal Revenue Service today confirmed that it will process tax returns beginning January 28, 2019 and provide refunds to taxpayers as scheduled.

“We are committed to ensuring that taxpayers receive their refunds notwithstanding the government shutdown. I appreciate the hard work of the employees and their commitment to the taxpayers during this period,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

Congress directed the payment of all tax refunds through a permanent, indefinite appropriation (31 U.S.C. 1324), and the IRS has consistently been of the view that it has authority to pay refunds despite a lapse in annual appropriations. Although in 2011 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed the IRS not to pay refunds during a lapse, OMB has reviewed the relevant law at Treasury’s request and concluded that IRS may pay tax refunds during a lapse.

The IRS will be recalling a significant portion of its workforce, currently furloughed as part of the government shutdown, to work. Additional details for the IRS filing season will be included in an updated FY2019 Lapsed Appropriations Contingency Plan to be released publicly in the coming days.

“IRS employees have been hard at work over the past year to implement the biggest tax law changes the nation has seen in more than 30 years,” said Rettig.

As in past years, the IRS will begin accepting and processing individual tax returns once the filing season begins. For taxpayers who usually file early in the year and have all of the needed documentation, there is no need to wait to file. They should file when they are ready to submit a complete and accurate tax return.

The filing deadline to submit 2018 tax returns is Monday, April 15, 2019 for most taxpayers. Because of the Patriots’ Day holiday on April 15 in Maine and Massachusetts and the Emancipation Day holiday on April 16 in the District of Columbia, taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17, 2019 to file their returns.

Software companies and tax professionals will be accepting and preparing tax returns before Jan. 28 and then will submit the returns when the IRS systems open later this month. The IRS strongly encourages people to file their tax returns electronically to minimize errors and for faster refunds.